We love sad movies! Like, we know they’re sad and all, but we also think they’re the best! They make us cry. On occasion, they make us laugh. And, on the whole, they make us reflect on the human experience, and what a bummer that can be. In short, they make us feel all the feels. 😞 With tales of tragedy, lost love, and more, the following eight sad movies on Paramount+ can keep you and your tissue box company when you’re going through it.
From the sweeping epic Titanic to the classic western Shane, there’s a heartrending movie for your mood on our list.
Key facts
- Top sad movies on Paramount+:
- Where to watch: Paramount+
- Featured stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Jessica Chastain
- Stories include: Romance, grief, family relationships, illness, and loss
*Title requires a subscription to the Paramount+ Premium plan to stream.
1. Titanic (1997)
What it’s about James Cameron’s Titanic follows the budding relationship between Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). The pair meet aboard the RMS Titanic during its fateful 1912 voyage. Rose is reluctantly traveling in style with her fiancé, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane), while Jack wins his steerage ticket in a poker game. The unlikely duo dares to pursue their romance, even as the ship is sinking.
Why you should watch it: Titanic never fails to disappoint, which is just what we want in a sad flick. When that big boat snaps in two, you’ll be crying, and cursing through your tears, “C’mon, Rose! Make some room!“
WATCH NOW: Titanic (1997)
2. Million Dollar Baby
What it’s about Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) wants to become a professional boxer and asks trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to work with her. Though Frankie initially refuses, Maggie’s determination softens his resolve. He trains her with help from his friend Scrap (Morgan Freeman) to great effect and glory before a title fight changes her life.
Why you should watch it: Having a bad day, you say? Watch Million Dollar Baby. Maggie’s string of bad breaks will have you counting your relatively lucky stars.
WATCH NOW: Million Dollar Baby
3. Terms of Endearment
What it’s about Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Debra Winger)
have a complicated relationship marked by distance, arguments over marriages and children, and reconciliations. The film covers three decades of Aurora and Emma’s tumultuous relationship. Their lives change forever when …. Well, while we’re pretty sure we can’t spoil a movie that’s more than 40 years old, we shall decline to state the plot point that transforms the film from mother-daughter drama – with some genuinely funny moments – into an ugly-cry classic.
Why you should watch it: The exhausting Aurora may drive you – and her daughter – up a wall, but when adversity calls upon her to go into full mama-bear mode, she steps up. And, spoiler alert, you will ugly cry.
WATCH NOW: Terms of Endearment
4. The English Patient
What it’s about During World War II, nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) cares for a badly burned man (Ralph Fiennes) in an abandoned Italian monastery. As he recalls his past, the story follows his relationship with Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas), a married woman he meets while mapping the Sahara Desert.
Why you should watch it: Titanic‘s only three hours long. So, where do you go when you need more doomed love? You got it: The English Patient.
WATCH NOW: The English Patient
5. Labor Day
What it’s about: Sad Adele (Kate Winslet) lives with her son Henry (played as a youth by Gattlin Griffith) when an escaped prisoner (Josh Brolin) forces them to take him home. But – plot twist! – a love story ensues. Frank stays with Adele and Henry over Labor Day weekend. As Henry watches Adele and Frank grow closer, the three begin considering whether they could build a life together. Aw, can’t these kids just catch a break!
Why you should watch it: You believe in the redemptive power of love, devotion – and fresh-baked peach pie.
WATCH NOW: Labor Day
6. The Time Traveler’s Wife
What it’s about: Based on the best-selling novel of the same time, this twisty romantic drama concerns a woman (Rachel McAdams) who is married to a man (Eric Bana) who has a genetic condition that causes him to travel through time without warning. She is, indeed, the time-traveler’s wife.
Why you should watch it: In case you ever wondered, it is not fun to be a time-traveler’s wife. You think your time-traveling husband is gonna be around to help bring out the trash cans, much less be there for the really big moments? You think it’s gonna be anything but excruciating to watch your personal drama unfold, over and over and over again, across various moments in the space-time continuum? We’re crying just thinking about it.
WATCH NOW: The Time Traveler’s Wife
7. Shane
What it’s about Shane (Alan Ladd) is a former gunfighter who catches on as a farmhand in Wyoming with Joe Starrett (Van Heflin), Joe’s wife Marian (Jean Arthur), and their son Joey (Brandon deWilde). Trouble ensues when a local cattle baron (Emile Meyer) puts the screws to homesteaders, like the Starretts, in an attempt to get them to leave the valley. Before long, Shane is forced to pick up his gun.
Why you should watch it: Young Joey and Shane form a bond that raises the emotional stakes for the inevitable third-act shootout. Will the pleading cry of “Shane! Come back!” bounce around in your head long after you’ve finished watching this 1953 classic? Probably. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
WATCH NOW: Shane
8. Memory
What it’s about Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is a social worker whose life revolves around her job, her daughter, and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. After a high-school reunion, Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home. Sylvia initially believes Saul may be connected to a traumatic event from her past, but she learns that Saul is living with early-onset dementia.
Why you should watch it: Not in the mood for a comedy? Well, if you read the above plot description, you know you’re in the right place. Memory is, in a word, haunting. Chastain and Sarsgaard play two people dealing with different relationships to memory: Sylvia is shaped by memories she cannot escape, while Saul is gradually losing his.
WATCH NOW: Memory (Paramount+ Premium plan)
Why do we like watching sad movies?
We like watching sad movies for many reasons, and, by the way, thank you for asking! 😊 Here’s our list:
- One, we like watching sad movies because they remind us that misery is universal.
- Two, we like watching sad movies because they remind us that suffering is universal.
- Three, we like watching sad movies because they help us get over ourselves! Like, once you remember that misery and suffering are universal, you sorta go, okay, got it: We’re all in this sinking ship together! (No Titanic reference intended, Jack and Rose.)
Watch sad movies on Paramount+
You can stream sad movies on Paramount+. Whether you want the romance of Titanic and The Time Traveler’s Wife, the complicated blood ties in Terms of Endearment, or the found family at the center of movies like Million Dollar Baby and Shane, you can cry your heart out here.
FAQ
What sad movies are on Paramount+?
Sad movies on Paramount+ include Titanic, Million Dollar Baby, Terms of Endearment, The English Patient, Labor Day, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Shane, and Memory (Paramount+ Premium plan).
Is Titanic streaming on Paramount+?
Yes. Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is streaming on Paramount+.
What sad movie should I watch first?
Your mileage may vary, but here are some thoughts: Start with Titanic if you’re in the mood for ill-fated lovers, or The Time Traveler’s Wife for a romance that reminds you that time is precious. Million Dollar Baby is a sports drama with a father figure who steps up, and Terms of Endearment will remind you to call your mom (or your grown child, whichever the case may be).
Availability of titles is subject to change.
